Combination draw works and shaft drive for rotary-drilling rigs



Sept-l5, 1925. I

. M.A.BAKER COMBINATION-DRAW worms AND SHAFT DRIVE FOR ROTARY DRILLING ms Filed Sept, 5, 1922' 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 ill If m i I INVENTOR o 0 N 'f; O B

o Oi I AT Sept; 15, .1925. M. A. BAKER DRILLING RIGS COMBINATION DRAW WORKS RID SHAFT DRIVE FOR ROTARY 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 5. 1922 4 I v INVENTOR.

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I I ATT NEYS.

Sept. 15, 1925. v 1,553,497

M. A.;BAKER COMBINATION DRAW WORKS AND SHAFT DRIVE FOR ROTARY DRILLING RIGS Filed Sept. 5, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet :5

Sept. 15, 1925.

v M. A. BAKER COMBINATION DRAW WORKS AND SHAFT DRIVE FOR ROTARY DRILLING RIGS Filed Sept. 5, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 5...- INVENTOR; 4134 Patented Sept. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILO A. BAKER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

' COMBINATION DRAW WORKS AND SHAFT DRIVE FOR ROTARY-DRILLING RIGS.

Application filed September 5, 1922. Serial No. 58 61393.

[ and whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILO A. BAKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at- Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Combination Draw Works and Shaft Drives for Rotary-Drilling Rigs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for pulling and lowering casing and the various instrumentalities employed in drilling and cleaning a well, and for driving a rotary drilling rig employed in the well known rotary boring operations.

Heretofore it has been common practice in the art of drilling oil wells, to employ combination rigs capable of operating both rotary tools and standard tools and it is customary to employ long endless driving connections, such as-ropes and chains, for operatively connecting the various units of the apparatus. Such apparatus are constructed in the field and the construction is very expensive, since it requires the labor of many men for a comparatively long period of time to construct the timber frame and assemble the various units of machinery thereon. On the frame thus constructed are placed the various bearings, and it will be understood that such bearings are generally very inaccurately alined. One of the principal objects of this invention is to reduce the first cost and the cost of upkeep of an apparatus of this character.

Another important object is to economize in the consumption of power employed in effecting the various operations connected with the rotary boring operations.

By this invention the various parts are correlated in such manner that driving of the rotary is effected by shafting, without it being necessary to resort to ropes or chains.

Another object of the invention is to provide for raising of the tools at a faster or slower rate, by a comparatively simple construction,

Another object is to effect picking up of the load Without too great shock upon the.

apparatus.

Another object is to provide a type of friction clutch for which the power for producing the clutching action is derived from the rotary movement of one of the elements of the apparatus, so that any load that can be ralsed by the prime mover can be picked up by the clutch without danger of slipping.

thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this character which can be constructed in the shop as a unit and shipped by truck to the field, and then quickly installed on a suitable foundation prepared for it.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of this character that, when the well at which it is stationed is exhausted, can be readily transferred as a unit to another well at comparatively small expense.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus embodying the invention, the rotary, which is not a part of this invention, also being shown operatively connected with the apparatus upon the frame thereof.

1 Fig. 2 is anenlarged broken plan view of ig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation mainly in section on the line indicated by 3-3. Figs. 1 and 2. g

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional elevation on the line indicated by 4-4, Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the positive means for connection of the clutch drum and its driving gear, on the line indicated by 55, Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmental sectional plevation on the line indicated by 66,

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional viewon the same plane as Figure 3, of the upper portion of the friction clutch, its driving gear and the mechanism for tightening the clutch band.

Fig. 8'is an enlarged fragmental elevation from the line indicated by 88, Fig. 3.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional elevation on line indicated by 9-9, Fig. 2.

Fig. 10 is an elevation of Fig. 1 from the right thereof, one of the shafts being shown in section and a portion of the housing being broken away.

Fig. 11 is a reduced end elevation of one of the coupling arms.

There is provided a metal frame indicated in general by the character and preferably constructed of I-beams or the like. On transverse members 11 of the frame are mounted bearings 12 for a shaft 13 on which is mounted a spur-gear 14 driven by a spur pinion 15 on a shaft 16. The shaft 16 is journaled in bearin s 17 mounted on the frame and is driven liy any suitable power. In the instance shown in the drawings the shaft 16 is connected by a flexible coupling 18 to an electric motor 19 mounted on the frame 10.

Alined axially with the shaft 13 is a rotary drive shaft 20 which may be releasably connected with the shaft 13 by a jaw clutch 21. The shaft 20 is utilized for operatinga rotary drilling apparatus of any suitable construction and which is indicated in general by the character 22. The specific construction of the rotary is not a portion of this present invention and therefore its construction and operation need not be described herein. The shaft 23 of the rotary may be connected by a flexible coupling 24 to the shaft 20. Thus the shafts 20, 23, need 'notbe in absolute alinement.

Loose on the shaft 13 is a mitre gear 25 which may be releasably'connected with the shaft 13 for operation of said gear, by a jaw clutch 26. Well known clutch-shifting mechanism 261 is indicated for operating the clutch 26. The gear 25 meshes with a mitrc gear 27 on a shaft 28 which is journaled in bearings 29 mounted on the frame 10. The shaft 28 is provided with two loose spur pinions 30.. 31 of different diameters and the hubs of said pinions form jaw clutch mem-- bers 32, 33, respectively. Positioned on the shaft 28 between the clutch members 32, 33, is a jaw clutch member 34 which is held against turning relative to the shaft by a spline 35. The clutch member 34 can slide endwise on the spline into engagement with either one of the clutch members 32, 33 so that driving of either the pinion or 31 may be effected.

. journaled in bearings 43, 44 that are mount- The pinions 30, 31 are in mesh with spur gears 36, 37, respectively, which are mountedon a transverse shaft 38 j ournaled in bearings,39 on the side members ofv the frame 10, The shaft 38 is at ahigher level than the shafts 13, 28 and extends over the shaft 13. Mounted on the shaft 38 is a spur pinion 40 in mesh with a spur gear 41 which is keyed or otherwise secured to a transverse shaft 42 ed on opposite sides of the frame'lO. The

shaft 42 is at a higher level than the shafts 13, 20, and extends over the latter.

Mounted. on the shaft 42 and adapted to be independent of rotation of said shaft is a I hoisting drum 45 one end flange of which forms a brake drum 46. Adapted to engage the brake drum 46 is a brake band 47, one

end of which is secured at 48 to the frame 10 and the other end pivoted at 49 to a crank 50 that operates to contract the brake band to produce the well known braking effect.

he other end flange of the drum 45 constitutes a friction clutch drum 51 and partly surrounding the drum 51 is a clutch band 52. The opposite ends of the clutch band 52 are pivotally connected at 53, 54, respectively, eccentrically of a shaft 55 to a crank 56 of said shaft, as clearly shown in Fig. 7. The shaft 55 is journaled at one end in a bracket bearing 57 secured by bolts 58, or their equivalents, to the inner face of the gear 41. The other end of the shaft 55 is journaled in a bearing 59 formed in the gear 41. The pivot 54 is connectedtwith the band 52 by a band-adjusting device comprising a threaded eye-bolt 60 passing through an eye 61 on one end of said band. Nuts 62 are provided on the bolt 60 to adjustably hold the bolt and eye 61 against relative movement.

The shaft 55 projects beyond the outer face of the gear 41 and the projectin end is provided with a lever arm 63 WlliCl extends aslant inwardly between two of the spokes of the gear 41 so that the inner end of said arm 63 is positioned between the hub 64 of the gear 41 and the adjacent hub 65 I of the friction drum 51. Formed in the hub 65 is a cylindrical recess (or recesses) 66 in which is adapted to be housed an endwise shiftable abutment or abutments 67. In this instance two such abutments are shown positioned at opposite portions of the hub 65. Connected with the abutments 67 are operating rods 68 whiehiextend through the drum 45 and project into the drum 46. The rods 68 are connected with a shifting collar 69 mounted to shift endwise on the hub 70 of the drums 45, 46. The collar 69 is engaged by the shifting fork 71 in the manner understood in the art relating to clutches.

When the collar 69 is moved to the right in Figure 3, it causes the abutments 67 to be thrust into the path of travel'of the arm 63 so that'said arm will engage the first abutment reached upon rotation of the gear 41. Assuming that'the gear 41 is turning clockwise in Figure 4, as indicated by the arrow a, it Will be clear that engagement of the arm 63 with-the abutment 67, causes said arm to be swung in the direction of the arrow 7) so as to operate the lever arm 56 to tighten the band 52 on the friction drum 51. When the abutment 67 is retracted from engagement with the arm 63, "said arm is swung in a direction to release the bandv52 is connected at one end to the arm 63' and at its other end to the rim of the gear 41. The spring 72 exerts sufficient tension to from the drum 51 by a coil spring 72 which move the arm 63 into engagement with a support 74 which issecured to two of the spokes of the gear 41.

If it should become necessary or-advisable to connect the gear 41 and drum 51 by other means than the clutch just described, this may bedone by a pin mount,- ed to shift endwise in a bearing 7 6 formed in one of the spokes of the gear 41. The pin 75 is provided with a pair of annular grooves 77, 78 adapted to be selectively engaged by a ball detent 79 yieldingly held in the groove by a coil spring 80 positioned in a spring chamber 81 in the bearing 76. When the detent 79 engages the groove 77, the pin 75 will be free from engagement with the drum 51, but when said detent engages the groove 78, as shown in Figure 5, the pin 75 is adapted to project into any one of a series of holes 82 formed in an annular flange 83 of the drum 51.

The apparatus above described, when the motor 19 is running, operates as follows:

Assuming that the well driller desires to operate the rotary 22, he will disengage the clutch 26 and engage the clutch'21. This will effect operation of the shafts 20, 23 and thus drive the rotary. I

If the well driller desire to operate the drum 45 for any of the purposes for which a hoisting drum is employed in connection with the sinking of Wells, he will disengage the clutch 21, engage the clutch 26 and shift the collar 69 to move the abutments 67 into the path of travel of the arm 63 so as to operate said arm into position to tighten the band 52 on the drum- 51. It is to be noted that, so long as slippage occurs between the gear 41 and drum 51, the arm '63 will be turned by the driving power of the apparatus. to increase the binding effect of the band52 upon the drum 51. This clutch, though a friction clutch, differs from the usual friction clutch because relative turning between the gear 41 and drum 51 will increase the gripping power of the clutch. As soon as the band; 52 stops slip ping upon the drum 51, there will be in eflect a positive drive between the gear and drum, since the clutch cannot slip and sincethe arm 63 is positively engaged by the abutment 67. The drum45 will be driven y at a higher rate of speed or alower rate of speed according as the clutch member 34 is thrown to engage the clutch member 32 or the clutch member 33.

From the foregoing it will be clearly understood that I have provided a very compactly constructed apparatus whereby all of the operations employed in the drilling of wells bythe rotary system may be effected. The rotary-22 being mounted on aseparate frame 841, which is placed on the frame 10, makes it possible to readily unship said rotary, so that when the drilling operation is completed the apparatus may be trans ported to another well site for effecting the drilling of another well.

Brief mention has been made herein to the coupling 24. The coupling 24 may be of any well known type but, in this instance, a special flexible coupling has been provided and mechanism has also been provided for showing the relative rotation between the coupling sections. The advantage of this will be understood, when it is considered that the well driller can operatethe apparatus more efliciently if he is aware of the degree of resistance encountered by the drill in the boring operation. It will be understood that the resistance to turning of the drill would vary considerably if the pressure or-weight on the drill were uniform throughout the drilling operation, during which materials of various degrees of hardness are encountered by the drill as it passes through the successive strata. Consequently, the drill can be operated much faster throu h soft material than through hard material and the drillers generally take advantage of this fact, apprising themselves of the amount of resistance against the drill by the degree of tautness of the chains or cables in those forms of apparatus employing the same.

If power is being continuously app-lied to the rotation of the drill, as the drill encounters strata of difi'erent degrees of hardness, the amount of power expended to produce uniform rate 01. turnin of the drill will vary. If the shafts'20, 23 e connected by a flexible coupling, it is clear that as the resistance to turning of the drill increases or diminishes, there will be relative movement between the coupling sections before the output of the motor changes sufiiciently to compensate for the change in the degree of resistance. To take advantage of this there is provided the mechanism now to be described.

The two halves or sections of the coupling 24 are indicated at 84, 85, the section 84 be ing secured by a key 86 to the shaft 20 and the section being secured by a key 87 to the shaft 23. Each coupling section comprises a pair of arms 88 provided with eyes 89. The axes of said eyes he in a' lane at a. rightangle to the axes of the sha s 20, 23, as clearly seen in Fig. 9. Between the opposed arms 88 of the different coupling sections, coil springs 90 are interposed to yieldingly hold the opposed arms 88 separated a predetermined distance. To limit movement Thus relative rotary movement between the coupling sections will produce movement of the lever 93.

Within the path of movement of the lever 93 is an abutment 97 connected by screws 98 to an annular cam 99 loosely mounted on the shaft 23. The working face of the cam 99 is in a plane at a right angle to the shaft 23 and is indicated at 100 and engages a cam face 101 of an annular cam 102 fixed to the shaft 23. Relative turning of the shafts 20, 23 in a direction to cause compression of the springs 90 moves the lever 93 to turn the cam 99 in the direction of the arrow 0 so that the cam faces 100, 101 will function to move the cam 99 endwise to the right in Fig. 9. This movement is yieldin ly opposed by a coil spring 103 interposed between an annular flange 104 on the cam 99 and a collar 105 fixed t0 the shaft 23.

Engaging the outer face of the flange 104 is a finger 106 which is secured to a rock shaft 10? mounted in bearings 108 secured to a suitable support as, for example, one end face of a housing 109 that encloses the coupling 24. The housing 109 is stationarily mounted, in this instance, bein positioned on a bracket 110 secured to the rame 841.

The rock shaft 107 is provided at one end with a hand 111 which is moved, by rocking of the shaft, in an are over the face of a segmental. scale or'graduated plate 112 that is mounted on a bracket 113 secured to the top of the housing 109.

The mechanism above described operates to indicate to the driller the degree of resistance met with by the drill, as follows:

Assuming, for example, that the drill is operating at a definite rate of feed in relatively soft material at relatively high rotat-ive speed so that a predetermined degree of resistance to turning of the drill is encountered, and that under such conditions the hand 111 registers on the right hand portion of the scale 112, if the drillthen enter harder material at the same rate of feed there will be produced greater resistance to rotation of the drill and there would be a tendency for the motor 19 to develop suflicient power to overcome the increased resistance and continue to drive the drill at the same speed of rotation. It should be understood that this increase of driving power is to be avoided, since there would be danger of breaking the tool, drill stem, or other portion of the drilling apparatus. As soon as the increased resistance occurs to rotation of the drill, the shaft, 23 will be caused to relatively rotate in a direction opposite to that of the shaft 20, against the expansive force of the springs 90. This, as has been explained above, ef-

fects movement of the cam 99 against the relative torques of the shafts 20, 23 can be read off from the scale. The operator will then reduce the rate of feed of the drill sufficiently to diminish the resistance to the preing in the softer material, whereupon the springs 90 will spread the associated arms 88, thus permitting the spring 103 to return the cam 99 to the position shown in Fig. 9. This of course permits a coil spring 114 on the shaft 107 to turn said shaft to cause the hand 111 to return to its former position adjacent the right end of the scale 112.

I claim:

1. In a combination draw works and shaft drive for a drilling rig, the combination of a frame, axially alined shafts rotatably mounted on the frame, a clutch for releasably connecting said shafts, a third shaft rotatably mounted on the frame, a drum rotatably mounted on the third shaft, a spur gear on the third shaft, a fourth shaft rotatably mounted parallel with the third shaft, a spur gear on the fourth shaft in mesh with the first gear, clutch means between the first gear and the drum, spur gears of different diameters on the fourth shaft, a fifth shaft parallel with the fourth shaft, spur gears of different diameters loosely mounted on the fifth shaft and in mesh with the thirdnamed gears, clutch means on the fifth shaft to operate either of the last gears at will, a'bevel gear on the fifth shaft, a bevel gear loose on one of the first named shafts, means to drive said last mentioned shaft, and clutch means between the last mentioned shaft and the second bevel gear.

2. A combination draw works and shaft drive for a drilling rig comprising a frame, a shaft rotatably mounted longitudinally of the frame, means to operate said shaft, a second shaft axially alined with the first shaft, a rotary operated by the second shaft, a clutch for connecting the shafts, a gear wheel loose on the first shaft, a clutch to connect the gear wheel and first shaft, a gear wheel operated by the first gear wheel, a shaft at a right angle to the first shaft and operated by the second gear wheel, a drum rotatably mounted on the frame, and means to operate the drum at two different speeds from the third shaft.

3..A combination draw works and shaft drive for a drilling rig comprising a frame, a shaft rotatably mounted on the'frame, means to operate said shaft, a second shaft axially alined with the first shaft, a rotary operated by the second shaft, a clutch for connectng the shafts, a gear wheel loose on the first shaft, a clutch to connect the gear wheel and first shaft, a gear wheel in mesh withthe first gear wheel, a shaft operated by the second gear wheel, a drum rotatably mounted on the frame, and means determined degree encountered when workto operate the drum at two difl'erent speeds from the third shaft.

4. A combination draw works and shaft drive for a drilling rig comprising a frame,

-'- a hoisting drum rotatabl driven rot mounted on the rota frame, a

movably mounted on the y mounted on the ary member, a lever ry member, an abutment drum, means to move the abutment into and out of the path of travel of the lever, and means operated 1 by movement of the leverin one direction to clutch the driven member to the drum.

Signed at Los Angeles, 0211., this 21st day of August. 1922.

MILO A. BAKER. 

